Shades of Grey

The City By The Bay

It's official, I fell in love with the city by the bay this past weekend. We started off our girls trip with a ferry ride to Sausalito, took in a bunch of the sites once the sun came out, and of course, did some serious shopping. What a dream it would be to live in such a fun and lively city like San Francisco!

Special thanks to Kristin Whitacre for some of the wonderful photos.

The Power of a Handwritten Note

There is nothing I enjoy sending (or receiving) in the mail more than an handwritten note. I got a little crafty last weekend with the embossing gun and some stamps and created new custom cards to send to friends and family. An easy yet meaningful craft idea.

Supplies:

-Cards

-Envelopes

-Stamps

-Stamp Pad

-Clear Embossing Powder

-Heat Tool

Directions:

1. Use the stamp pad and stamps to create the look you desire on the note card.

2. Sprinkle the clear embossing powder over the top of the card. Place any excess back in the jar so that there is just a thin layer of powder over all of the stamps.

3. Use the heat tool on the entire card. The color of the stamps will brighten which is a sign that they are dry. You will see the stamp as a now raised texture.

Into The Garden

Getting inspired for an upcoming garden birthday party.

(Photos: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9)

laugh.

Even when the going gets tough, it's important to remember to laugh.

A Rainy Weekend Away

Once February hits and you live in rainy Seattle, it is nice to get a change of scenery. This past weekend, I took a road trip to Portland with a few of my close friends. Constantly getting editorial exposure for their great food, fun shops and unique spaces. We had the opportunity to stay at The Nines hotel which has a chic boutique look.

With patterning floors of Tiffany blue and lavender paired with taupe color and plenty brocade fabrics, the style was right up my alley.

After shopping till we literally almost dropped (with exhaustion), it was time to eat - and the food was to die for. My favorite was this little place in the Pearl District called isabel. Can you say Coconut French Toast? The best brunch I have had in a long time.

All in all, a wonderful weekend away and a great time with close friends. To anyone Seattleite contemplating, take the drive and spend a weekend in the Rose City.

Necklace Holder DIY

This weekend I was finally able to take hold of my craving from crafting. I have been dreaming about a simple way to display my favorite gems. With a little paint and a glue gun I made my dream come alive this weekend. Enjoy!

 I had a blank 16" by 20" canvas lying around that was dying for a little color.

 I took some acrylic paint and did a loose striped pattern across the canvas. I wanted to keep the design simple to not take away from the detail of the necklaces that would hang form the completed project.

 With a glue gun, I took relatively large picture hooks (with flat backs) and glued them to the dry canvas. I covered the nail hole on each picture hook with a faceted bead for extra pizzazz.

 Let your favorite jewels become art on a wall. Don't just let them sit in a box, display them.